XXXIX Annual Session
'Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger'
The Hague International Model United Nations
HRH Princess Mabel van Oranje-Nassau
22 January 2007
Distinguished delegates:
I grew up just an hour's train ride from this auditorium.
But I never had the chance to participate in the Model United Nations.
I would have loved to play a diplomat from Bhutan , Mexico or Somalia – to discuss with people like you how to overcome the wars, poverty, diseases, and malnutrition that affect far too many people in our world.
I do know a Dutch man, however, who did have the chance to participate in the Model United Nations.
He is from The Hague . And he's told me over and again about what a fantastic experience it was to play the role of a diplomat from a country far, far away from the windmills and tulips of the Netherlands .
He was assigned to be a diplomat from Oman - a predominantly Muslim oil state on the far edge of the Arabian peninsula .
And so this Dutch boy played the role of a Muslim diplomat. I have a picture of him here.
As you can see, he even made an effort to look Omani.
I got this picture from his family album. We are now married; his name is Friso; I am his wife.
Friso told me what a great experience it was to play his role to the fullest – to represent the interests of Oman , to press for peace in the Middle East .
He told me how representing the interest of a different country teaches you an invaluable lesson – namely, to recognise that other people have different perspectives, different motives, different objectives and different priorities. It encourages you to appreciate the problems of other people. It forces you to understand the tools that they have, or do not have, to solve these problems.
Although I never participated in the Model United Nations, I was lucky enough to hold an internship at the United Nations in New York at the end of my university studies.
I went to the UN in the spring of 1993 with a lot of idealism.
I was inspired by the idea of this global assembly where representatives from all the world's countries come together to address matters of international peace and security, fundamental freedoms and human rights.
It was a remarkable time.
The Cold War had just ended; Yugoslavia was falling apart; and Bosnia was burning.
Whenever I could, I would go down to the Security Council and follow the debates that were taking place there.
I remember the session when the Security Council decided to create six so-called ‘safe areas' in Bosnia .
I also remember how, two years later, the United Nations did nothing to stop Serbian troops from overrunning one of these safe areas. In Srebrenica, 8,000 people – whom the Security Council had promised to protect – were killed.
This was a cold slap of reality.
But there were also rays of hope.
I remember when the Security Council created the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia – which is now situated just across from the entrance of this building. This marked the beginning of a decade of great advancement in international justice.
My experience in New York in 1993 did not extinguish my commitment to contribute my tiny share to peace, security, and human rights – the key goals of the United Nations.
After finishing my studies, I considered joining the Dutch diplomatic service and I had an opportunity to work for a management consultancy company.
I decided instead to establish a non-governmental organization that would bring together influential Europeans to promote peace, democracy and stability in the Balkans.
I travelled to Bosnia and witnessed war at first hand: violence, intolerance, nationalism and aggression.
But, more importantly, I also saw how the people of Bosnia dared to resist evil.
I remember the man who – in a city under siege – took it upon himself to run a radio station so that people in bomb shelters could have daily news and music.
I remember a woman who set up after-school activities – to reduce the risk of children being shot while playing in the street after classes.
I remember the people who organised theatre performances and even the Miss Sarajevo contest – to preserve some sense of human dignity while the bombs fell.
These ordinary people made it clear to me how individuals can make a difference.
After my experience in Bosnia , I went to work for a foundation with a world-wide reach. This organization, called the Open Society Institute, was established by a billionaire named George Soros.
A basic concept of the Open Society Institute is that every individual and every organisation can make a difference in how the world develops.
The Open Society Institute empowers people to tackle their own problems. It helps people to become active citizens and to stand up for their rights. It enables them to monitor their governments – to make sure that they act accountably and in the interest of their population. The Open Society Institute works to build vibrant and tolerant democracies.
You all know that the world is facing major challenges – such as climate change, terrorism, extreme poverty and hunger, and human rights abuses. These problems cannot be solved by countries or international organizations acting on their own.
If we want to address these problems effectively, everybody will have to contribute: corporations big and small, non-governmental organisations, private foundations, churches, the media, and, most importantly, individuals.
Let me give you three short examples to show how one can work together to address some of the world's biggest problems.
Look at this picture. Ask yourself: How can it be that countries which are extremely rich in natural resources, like oil and diamonds, are often home to some of the world's poorest, most repressed people – like this girl?
We were one of the initiators of a non-governmental movement whose aim it is to pressure big corporations, like oil companies, to reveal what they pay to governments and political leaders of the countries in which they extract oil and other raw materials.
This movement has managed to convince governments, international organisations like the World Bank, and oil and mining companies to join in a voluntary effort to monitor the way in which the huge amounts of money that countries earn from natural resources are used – so that the people of these countries, and not just the leaders, benefit.
Next: AIDS. This disease is killing so many people. It is ruining economies. It is ravaging entire societies. It is destroying families. It is turning children into orphans. It is undermining the fight against poverty. It is undermining human security and peace.
This is another problem that governments and international organisations like the UN cannot solve on their own. If we want to win the fight against AIDS, we will all have to do our share. Each of us, for example, can start by addressing the stigma that surrounds the virus – so that people are not longer scared to test whether they are infected and also to ensure that people with AIDS are not shunned.
This is also why I decided that the money collected for charity from all of you earlier this morning should be given to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Because this mechanism enables the public and the private sectors to work together in fighting these diseases.
Finally: international justice. The Open Society Institute and other non-governmental organizations are working to strengthen peace and security by supporting international tribunals like the ones for Rwanda , where 800,000 people were killed, and for Cambodia , where 1.7 million were killed.
Together with governments and other NGOs, we pushed for the creation of the International Criminal Court, which is now based in The Hague and turning this city into the international capital for justice.
These courts send a clear message to presidents and prime minister and generals: If you begin an armed conflict and if you promote war crimes like those in Rwanda and Cambodia – and right now in Darfur – you will not do so with impunity. Now, war criminals risk prosecution and imprisonment.
I began my career just like you – with school and with participation in internships and other student programs.
As I showed you, my husband sat right here during his school days, just like you, working out resolutions to solve world problems, just as you are going to do this week.
It was not long before we were cast into adulthood, and began really facing the problems of the world.
Your adulthood is fast approaching.
You will have to make choices, like my husband and I did. You can become a diplomat, a banker, a UN official, a businessman, or work for a non-governmental organisation.
But whatever way you go, you will always have an opportunity to contribute your tiny share to addressing some of the world's biggest problems – to prevent war; to fight poverty, hunger and disease; to head off global warming; to protest injustice; and to respect human rights.
That is the most important choice that you will have to make.
And I hope that you will choose to care, to become involved, and to contribute your share.
Because each and every one of you can make a difference.
I challenge you to do so.
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Good luck with your work this week.
Thank you.